Garden musings

How does your garden grow? 

During this dormant period at the farm when there 

is not as much daily work to do, the idle time leads 

to musings on the incremental changes that are harder to see. 

(does that mean we are not looking deeply enough?)

So less to do, coupled with winter weather, makes this an ideal time 

to catch up with some of the other gardening blogs we enjoy.

One blog we like a lot, that we've shared with you before, is A Sonoma Garden, 

which always has thoughtful posts, with good tips, and intimate reflections.

 A recent post captures beautifully how we are feeling this time of year 

when it is hard to suppress the urge to have our hands in the dirt. 

The Urban Artichoke reminds us, just when we think perhaps 

we can't grow anything delicate until Spring, that the garden is full of surprises. 

And SmartGardener is a reliable and all around great resource, very aptly named! 

And you can find tips on more than just gardening. 

This week they are sharing this video about how to prepare endive.

Today I stumbled upon a new one that captured my interest: Outlaw@home

Filled with ruminations that are thought provoking, there is much to contemplate here.  

Riffing on this quote from Henry David Thoreau: "Gardening is social, says Thoreau, 

and I think this can be true...The act of gardening is an activity 

well suited to companionship. From orchid societies to garden parties 

or sitting in the backyard at home; plants are the focus, the backdrop 

or the cornerstone to a huge range of social functions.  

We gather and play in shared green spaces. 

We work together in fields and greenhouses." 

For our fig farm project, gardening/farming is both solitary and social. 

Executive Chef John Toulze treasures his time in the garden as meditative, 

precious alone time where he can get "lost" in the tasks there 

that relax him even as they tire him.

Everyone who toils at our farm experiences some version of this.

Some of our sous chefs and other staff volunteer to help 

at the farm for these personal benefits. 

Interestingly then, while each of us is in our own zen place 

of focused mindful labor, what happens is a quantum 

"whole is greater than the sum of its parts" dynamic 

and the farm energetic becomes very communal

And certainly the most social aspect of our farm project 

is the food we plant, grow and cook for you.

This is always what guides us, keeps us going 

when the weather is bad or something we've tried is not successful so we plant anew. 

We "get" so much from our farm project 

but it is all about what we bring to you that matters most.

winter squash photo by Steven Krause for
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

Executive Chef John Toulze and his team at the James Beard House
photo by Phillip Gross

Are there any gardening blogs you particularly like?

Tell us about your thoughts on gardening, how it is your private passion 

or are you part of a Community Patch? 

Small "big" things in the garden

Our last post was about the flurry of activity—a planting party 

tansitioning from winter/early spring to a spring/summer garden. 

As the title suggested, a lot happened that day with tractors going 

and many hands furiously working to plant 

150 tomatoes, 100 peppers and 100 eggplants. 

But actually there is always a lot happening at the farm. 

Sometimes it may not be as visible or obvious as when the tractor is rolling. 

But there is always activity at the farm—whether it is a day 

when just one or two of us are weeding and 

tending to the beds, 

or on those days 

when no one is even there.

garlic bed photo by Cece Hugo

At the biodynamic farm on Imagery Estate Winery vineyard, 
our stalwart assistants, the "good bugs," 
are ever present doing their work all the time, 

 when we can see them and often when we cannot.

   

The soldier beettle is aptly named as an important predator of aphids. 

This little guy is" highly desired by gardeners as 

biological control agent of a number of pest insects." 

So we are careful as we do our work 

when we encounter a soldier beetle 

 to allow him to do his.

And we try to remember, and you should too, that while caterpillars 

may be a nuisance for some plants, they do turn into 

butterflies who enjoy the garden as much as we do, and bring us great pleasure.

photo: Matthew Ruff of Butterfly in sage plant at ESTATE

Perhaps the hardest worker at the farm are the bees.

  "Bee pollination of crops, something that most farmers heavily rely on, 

is responsible for as much as 30% of the U.S. food supply." 

Much has been written about this and the current crisis 

of bees dying at unsustainable rates.

Bees are the premier pollinators of the world, and without them, 
farmers worldwide would experience massive crop failures, especially for orchard fruits, 
berries, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers and other bee-pollinated plants.
Bees are truly a farmer's and gardener's friend.
No question about the phrase, "busy bees!"

carefully peering into the lavender where the bees are hard at work

 The lavender bushes in the Insectary which attract the bees,
are close to our planting beds so they can support our work.  

All of the plants in the Insectary surrounding the farm have been designed
to maintain a natural balance attracting the good bugs.

Our owl house ensures we will have a sentry to help control rodents. 

Certainly the owl monitors all the "small moments" at the farm.  

so much going on in these bushes at the Insectary

And, truly every day there are small things happening
at the farm that are really big moments. 

As one brave blossom appears and begins to grow, 

we can feel the energy of the plant or tree as it begins to "breathe" and stretch out.

one of our first figs

the apricot tree begins to bloom

and pear blossoms in the Orchard

strawberries starting to appear

inspire this vanilla ris au lait with port-roasted strawberries 

The small things in the garden matter as much as the big major events.
And small gardens matter too.
 We are proud of the farm and the orchard
but also appreciate how much we can grow around the restaurants.

this lemon tree right outside ESTATE's bar

makes for a very fresh Lemon Drop (photo by Steven Krause) 

And you can grow so much food at home as well.
Check out Verdura for tips on creating an edible garden, even in small spaces and
we really enjoy A Sonoma Garden for insight and inspiration.

Let us know about the progress in your garden 

and please share links that pique your interest in the gardening experience.